Flames destroy former furniture mill

Tuesday

A massive fire Tuesday night destroyed a large portion of the former Lexington Home Brands Plant No. 1 building in the city’s Depot District near uptown.

The cause of the fire wasn't known late Tuesday, but it may have been fueled in part by chemical residue in a furniture finishing section of the mill, a city official said.

The fire started around 5:15 p.m., and the structure was still engulfed in flames several hours later. As firefighters battled the blaze, parts of the roof and walls could be heard loudly collapsing. The blaze appeared largely under control by 9:30 p.m. with firefighters still dealing with pockets of flame.

Lexington Police Maj. Robby Rummage said officials responded to a fire at the same building around 2 a.m. Tuesday. Rummage could not confirm Tuesday night that the two fires were related.

Rummage said the Salisbury and Thomasville fire departments were assisting Lexington in battling the fire. Firefighters could be seen hosing adjacent buildings to prevent the flames from spreading to other structures including the historic Dixie Furniture smokestack.

The heavy flames were visible from several blocks away in Uptown Lexington. The thick black smoke likely could be seen from much farther away.

The structure that burned, which is owned by the City of Lexington and sits behind its new amphitheater, is part of the sprawling former furniture works that is now the city's Depot District, a target for redevelopment. Lexington City Councilman Frank Callicutt said he was on the scene when the building caught fire early Tuesday. He said he believes Bull City Ciderworks and the site of the future Goose and the Monkey Brew House – both in parts of the former furniture mills – were unharmed.

Callicutt said he doesn't believe anything significant was inside the building that burned.

"A big part where they're at right now is actually where Black Dog Salvage went through," Callicutt said. "We are hoping and are thinking that there were no people inside. I say that because we were on the scene at 1 or 2 in the morning when some of this fire actually started, and they got it out but then they thought it was going to rekindle so they stayed. How in the world it rekindled this fast, I cannot tell you. I know a lot of people have a love affair with the Dixie Smokestack. It's definitely at risk at this point."

City Manager Alan Carson said the flames started in the same area that caught fire earlier Tuesday. He said officials walked through the area on Tuesday, but no one saw anything.

Carson said he and a fire official were on the scene when the fire started Tuesday evening.

"I stopped by on the way home and was just watching it smolder and all of sudden it took off," Carson said. "We both saw it plume at the same time. And then it turned from white to black and then he went ahead and got on the phone with the fire department, and they responded immediately."

Carson said there is no electricity to the building as a safety precaution. There's no problem with the nearby tunnel or the smokestacks at this point, according to the city manager.

Carson said he believed the fire was burning in a furniture finishing area, which would include flammable chemicals. He didn't think anything was in the warehouses.

The city manager said the building was deemed historic by the state. There have been discussions about demolishing part of the plant, according to Carson.

"I think originally we talked about selective demolition, but we hadn't really gotten that far yet," Carson said. "We were working to sell the buildings that were usable. We've had several people go through those and nobody has really come up with an opportunity just yet to do anything. As far as demolition is concerned, this will probably change everything."

Lexington Mayor Newell Clark thanked the firefighters who responded to the scene.

A large number of people came to see the fire, and many shot photos or video with their cell phones. Clark also said keeping everyone safe was the priority.

"We were on the scene earlier when it broke out and thankfully we were there when the second one came out and we were able to respond quickly to that," Clark said. "This is a part of our history that we're watching. For folks to be just gathered around and watching this, and everyone wants to do something, but the main thing is that everyone stays safe and continues to be safe and we want everyone to stay back and realize we're doing everything we can to make sure everything that can be contained is."

Carson said it's one of the largest fires he's seen in Lexington. The city manager said that he hopes the disaster can be eventually turned into a positive.

"This isn't the action we were looking for," Carson said. "But we hope with everything else it turns out well for us. Out of the ashes, we'll develop something for it. It's another opportunity for us, so we'll see what we can do with it."

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